I like a fat midrange, and I suppose what would typically qualify as a "warm" sound for MC cartridges. In the past I went down the upgrade road of: Kontrapunkt "c" => Jubilee => Windfeld. I loved that "c" and felt that the Jubilee "upgrade" was a complete mistake; I then immediately proceeded to the Windfeld, which was obviously technically superior to the other 2 carts (resolution, bass, speed, etc) -- in fact, it's quite astounding and thrilling the first time you hear this level of competence. However, I still missed the warmth, midrange, musicality, and forgiveness of the "c". Especially when the speakers I owned at the time were a tad bright, and the TT was also less high end and less dial-in-able than my current Innovation Wood + Graham.
I ended up selling those Ortofons and running Koetsu Platinum (very sparingly; only for "primo" listening sessions) for the next 4 years. Obviously, the Koetsu are significantly warmer than any Ortofon. To my ears, the Kontra "c" and Cadenza Bronze are what I consider neutral, while the Jubilee/Windfeld are slightly bright/analytical, and the Koetsus are all various shades of warm. Other ears would categorize the Jubilee/Windfeld as neutral, the "c"/Bronze warm, and the Koetsu as overbearingly warm. Someone else categorized the Windfeld as warm, and based on my past experience I'd hate to encounter a cart they consider bright -- we all have different systems and preferences :)
I've upgraded my TT and speakers in the last 2 years -- I still have the Koetsu, and they still sound amazing, but are possibly just a bit too warm in the new ecosystem. More recently I've been trying out a very nice Cadenza Bronze, which has now finally been dialed in to make a really wonderful sound. It truly hits my ideals of neutrality and musicality -- but then, some of the subtle refinements and details of the better (more expensive) cartridges (including Koetsu, Windfeld) are missing. That said, it's hard for me to imagine a more ideal match for typical pop/rock recordings than this Bronze -- and these comprise a significant portion of my music collection. The Bronze features a great balance of resolution, liveliness, and forgiveness.
I now grapple with whether to give the highly rated Cadenza Black a shot (an improved Jubliee...and it would need to be improved for me to like it), or even to give the Windfeld another chance. However, given my past experiences, and how neutral my ears now find the the Bronze, I worry whether I'll hit the same upgrade frustrations all over again. I don't think so, but then again it would be a fairly expensive trial.
